Canadian Navy renames joint support ships to honor previous AORs

The Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) announced it is renaming its future auxiliary, oiler and replenishment (AOR) vessels – the Joint Support Ships (JSS) – to honor the names of former RCN ships serving in this role.

Initially named as Her Majesty’s Canadian Ship (HMCS) Queenston and HMCS Chateauguay (in recognition of the significant battles of Queenston Heights and Chateauguay during the War of 1812), the JSS ships will now be named HMCS Protecteur and Preserver.

“The renaming of the JSS to Protecteur and Preserver by the RCN recognizes the distinguished and remarkable service provided by its past Protecteur-class ships that have carried these names,” the navy said.

In October 2013, the Canadian government announced that the JSS ships would be named the Queenston-class. Since that announcement, the original purpose-built AORs, the former Protecteur and Preserver, were paid off and are no longer part of the RCN’s fleet.

This fact presented the RCN, through its Ships Naming Committee, an opportunity to consider reusing the names of the original AORs, an option that was not available when the JSS were originally named in 2013.

This will be the second time in Royal Canadian Navy history that the name Protecteur will be used, and the third time for Preserver.

“As we move forward with the future fleet of the Royal Canadian Navy, we will do so without forgetting where we come from and where we have been. Many sailors in the Royal Canadian navy, both serving and retired, have strong bonds to the former HMC Ships Protecteur and Preserver,”, Royal Canadian Navy Commander Vice-Admiral Ron Lloyd said.

“This renaming serves as a tribute to the dedication and sacrifices of the generations of sailors who have served in the past ships of the Protecteur-class.”